Underlying Causes of the Civil War

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Underlying Causes of the Civil War
Pathfinder
Penfield High School
December 2007


Scope: Subscription Databases available through PHS Library and previewed free web sites.

Subscription Databases: See library staff for user names and password.

  • American History Online: Spans more than 500 years of political, military, social, and cultural history, highlighting the important people and events of the American experience. Use your topic as search terms/keywords. Tabs across the search result screen indicate the type of resource. Use tabs to find Biographies, Events& Topics, Primary Sources, Images & Video and Maps & Chart.

  • Annals of American History Online: Original United States documents such as speeches, essays, and biographies from 1493 to the present. Use your topic as search terms/keywords OR click on the Timeline across the top of the page.

  • SIRS Knowledge Source: Use either keyword or subject heading searches. SIRS is not as intuitive as some of the other databases, so you need to be more flexible in your search terms and strategies.

  • World Book Online: Encyclopedia, reference, and multimedia sources. Good starting point for a general overview. Includes links to reviewed web sites.


Free Websites:



  • Civil War @ Smithsonian: Looks at the Civil War through the extensive collections and archives of the Smithsonian Institution.

  • The United States Civil War Center: Includes biographies, battles, African Americans and slavery, espionage, education, food, sports and leisure, flags, weapons and artillery, and documents. Click on “Civil War Index” for innumerable links to Civil War information. Please note: The external links have not necessarily been reviewed for accuracy, currency, objectivity or comprehensiveness.